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Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The National Security Directorate (NSD) drives science-based, mission-focused solutions to take on complex, real-world threats to our nation and the world.

The AI and Data Analytics Division, part of the National Security Directorate, combines profound domain expertise and creative integration of advanced hardware and software to deliver computational solutions that address complex data and analytic challenges. Working in multidisciplinary teams, we connect foundational research to engineering to operations, providing the tools to innovate quickly and field results faster. Our strengths are integrated across the data analytics lifecycle, from data acquisition and management to analysis and decision support.

Responsibilities

SOLVING THE HARDEST PROBLEMS IN NATIONAL SECURITY

Protecting U.S. residents and visitors requires sophisticated technological solutions to counter increasingly complex, AI-enabled threats. As adversaries deploy autonomous systems, coordinate multi-domain operations, and leverage advanced AI capabilities, our capabilities must evolve to match this complexity. The PNNL national security mission employs our expert engineering talent—self-driven innovators who thrive in ambiguity—to architect and deliver next-generation AI systems, multi-intelligence fusion platforms, and large-scale analytics capabilities that form the backbone of our nation's security infrastructure.

THE CHALLENGE IS REAL. THE PROBLEMS ARE HARD. THE IMPACT IS IMMEDIATE

You'll tackle problems that don't exist elsewhere from detecting and preventing smuggling of drugs and contraband to correlating petabytes of multi-modal intelligence data to solve National Security Problems. Every system you architect, every algorithm you optimize, and every deployment you lead directly strengthens our nation's security posture. This work demands relentless drive—the kind of engineer who sees obstacles as puzzles to solve and treats mission success as personal responsibility.

PNNL is leading the charge in advanced AI engineering, driving innovation in areas such as real-time multi-intelligence processing, petabyte-scale data orchestration, and agentic AI system architectures to support national security initiatives. We are looking for a mid-career Software Engineer to play a key role in advancing these groundbreaking technologies. In this position, you will leverage your experience in scalable system design, AI/ML engineering, and data architecture to develop revolutionary capabilities for processing multi-modal intelligence data with unprecedented speed and scale. You’ll work in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment that combines startup-style agility with the rigor required for high-impact national security applications.

APPLYING YOUR ENGINEERING EXPERTISE TO CHALLENGES IMPACTING NATIONAL SECURITY

As a Software Engineer on PNNL's Software Engineering and Architectures (SEA) team, you will architect and lead the development of mission-critical AI systems, design systems at scale in support of mission objectives, and drive technical strategy for some of the nation's most sophisticated intelligence and security applications. You'll take ownership from concept to deployment, mentor and develop staff, collaborate with research scientists and domain experts, and translate cutting-edge research into production-ready systems deployed in highly secure environments—all while maintaining the entrepreneurial mindset that turns breakthrough research into operational reality.

HANDS-ON IMPACT ACROSS DIVERSE, HIGH-STAKES CHALLENGES

+ System Architecture – Design and build distributed platforms in state-of-the-art secure facilities, architect high-availability microservices, conduct performance testing on enterprise-scale systems

+ Field Deployment – Deploy and optimize software systems in operational environments, troubleshoot mission-critical applications in real-world conditions, collaborate directly with system operators and infrastructure teams

+ Performance Engineering – Build ultra-high-performance APIs that handle millions of requests per second, architect systems that operate under extreme performance constraints, solve scalability challenges at national scale

+ Real-Time Systems – Build platforms that process streaming data with sub-millisecond latency, architect fault-tolerant systems that achieve 99.99% uptime, optimize performance for mission-critical operations

What You'll Architect & Build:

+ Software Platforms – Develop scalable microservices architectures that coordinate across multiple domains, build robust API gateways for classified environments, architect service mesh implementations that handle the nation's most sensitive traffic

+ High-Performance Processing Systems – Lead distributed system design processing data from hundreds of sources simultaneously, architect real-time streaming platforms that handle terabytes per hour, design event-driven architectures that scale horizontally across data centers

+ Mission-Critical Infrastructure – Develop container orchestration platforms that span multiple security domains, architect CI/CD pipelines processing millions of deployments, build monitoring and observability systems across secure enclaves

+ Technical Leadership with Impact – Mentor engineering teams building systems that push the boundaries of software architecture, drive technical decisions that influence platform strategy, lead cross-functional initiatives spanning multiple development teams

Technical Expertise Expected:

+ Programming Excellence – Advanced Python, C#/.Net, with proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, [Java, C/C++, Rust]

+ Cloud & Infrastructure – AWS/Azure architecture, Kubernetes orchestration, Infrastructure as Code, [GCP, Multi-cloud, Edge computing]

+ Data & Storage – S3, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redshift, Delta Lake, Vector stores

+ AI/ML Engineering – Agentic AI systems, LLMs, model deployment & orchestration, MLOps platforms, distributed training, model serving at scale, vector databases, graph analytics

+ Intelligence Systems – Data fusion, GEOINT processing, signals analysis, threat correlation

+ Data Engineering – Spark/Databricks, Kafka/streaming, data lake/mesh architectures, real-time analytics, distributed computing

+ Specialized Systems – Geospatial processing frameworks, time-series databases, distributed computing, secure enclaves

+ Leadership Tools – Agile/SAFe methodologies, GitLab Enterprise, advanced CI/CD, security-first DevOps

National Interest Project Examples:

+ Detect and prevent smuggling of drugs and contraband at ports of entry [Link (https://www.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/media/file/NII%20Capabilities%20072621\_0.pdf) ]

+ Develop large data pipelines to thwart funding for terrorists, nuclear proliferators, drug cartels, and rogue leaders [Link (https://www.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/media/file/PNNL\_Treasury\_AWS%20collab%201121.pdf) ]

+ Applying big data solutions to national security problems [Link (https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/science-front-line-ralph-perko) ]

+ Applying image classification for nuclear forensics analysis [Link (https://www.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/media/file/NSD\_1259\_FLYER\_SharkzorHighlights\_FINAL\_0.pdf) ]

+ Develop capabilities for scalable geospatial analytics [Link (https://www.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/media/file/GeoBOSS%20Open-Source%20Geospatial%20Analytics%20at%20Scale.pdf) ]

+ Use remotely sensed imagery to identify and monitor the progression of wildfires [Link (https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/disaster-response-and-mitigation-ai-world) ]

+ Analyze the resiliency of the electric power grid to prevent large-scale outages [Link (https://www.pnnl.gov/energy-system-modeling) ]

+ Optimize building efficiency using IOT and ICS data with automated demand-response markets [Link (https://volttron.org/) ]

+ Model climate change and impacts to civilization [Link (https://im3.pnnl.gov/) ]

+ Hunt for the existence of dark matter to understand the nature of the universe [Link (https://www.pnnl.gov/dark-matter) ]

This position is based in Richland, WA and requires an onsite presence Monday through Thursday, with Friday as required by business needs.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

+ PhD and 1 year of relevant experience -OR-

+ MS/MA or higher and 3 years of relevant experience -OR-

+ BS/BA and 5 years of relevant experience -OR

+ AA and 14 years of relevant experience -OR-

+ HS/GED and 16 years of relevant experience

+ Qualifying software development experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions in support of scientific research or consumer digital product development may be counted

Preferred Qualifications:

+ Degree in computer science, software engineering, or related field

+ 5+ years of experience in designing or deploying large-scale and high-performance ETL pipelines and analytics

+ 5+ years Python or other software development experience

+ Strong understanding of software engineering and data management best practices

+ Strong cloud architecture and implementation experience

+ Cloud and database certifications

+ Familiar with machine learning algorithms with hands-on experience in machine learning pipeline development

+ Active Federal Q Clearance and ability to maintain such clearance

Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment

Not applicable.

Additional Information

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.

A security clearance background investigation includes review of your employment, education, financial, and criminal history, as well as interviews with you and your personal references, neighbors, and co-workers to determine trustworthiness, reliability, and loyalty to the United States. The investigation also examines your foreign connections, drug and alcohol use, foreign influence, and overall conduct.

Requirements:

+ U.S. Citizenship

+ Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.

+ Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).

Note: Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy if non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months cannot be demonstrated.igible”

Testing Designated Position

This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.

About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!

At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, and flexible work schedules. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State—the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs.

Commitment to Excellence and Equal Employment Opportunity

Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at [email protected] .

Drug Free Workplace

PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs.

If you are offered employment at PNNL, you must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment. PNNL complies with federal law regarding illegal drug use. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you test positive for any illegal controlled substance, including marijuana, your offer of employment will be withdrawn.

Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements

As a national laboratory, PNNL is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require new employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication. The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

For foreign national candidates:

If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three-year residency requirement thereafter, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment. The tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the PIV credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential.

Mandatory Requirements

Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.

Rockstar Rewards

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

* Research Associates excluded.

**All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.

Click Here For Rockstar Rewards (https://careers.pnnl.gov/rockstar-rewards)

Notice to Applicants

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual’s relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.

Minimum Salary

USD $130,200.00/Yr.

Maximum Salary

USD $205,800.00/Yr.